This invention relates to devices for attaching one object to another.
While many mechanical devices are known which connect or attach objects to one another, there remain many circumstances in which known mechanisms are too expensive, too complicated to use, and/or fail to adequately secure the objects to each other. One, but by no means the only, exemplary circumstance is that wherein one object is to be detachably attached to another hollow object which has an inner surface, using a force applied to the inner surface of the hollow object as a primary connecting force. U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,398 to Lund discloses an expandable chuck for insertion into a cylindrical hollow core. The chuck includes a plurality of jaws connected by a linkage to a central lifting post and a lower portion of the chuck body, whereby the jaws may move into and out of gripping engagement with the inner surface of the core. However, the chuck does require a continual lifting force to be applied to provide gripping engagement between the jaws and the inner surface of the core, and the jaws are described as having sharp outer ends, which requires the inner surface of the core to be soft enough to receive the sharp ends for binding engagement. In addition, the chuck disclosed does not easily adapt to cores of varying diameters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,879 to Torbet et al. describes a hoisting apparatus which engages a socket cavity in concrete slab to enable lifting of the slab. However, the inner surface of the socket cavity must be specially formed in frusto-conical fashion to receive pivoting engagement arms on the hoisting apparatus.
Thus, a need continues to exist for simple devices which enable the detachable connection of at least one object to at least one other object.
The present invention is deemed to meet the foregoing need in a highly efficient and effective way by enabling objects of a wide variety of sizes and shapes to be firmly, and preferably detachably, connected to one another.
In one of its embodiments, this invention provides a device for connecting a first object to a second object is provided, wherein said second object defines at least one surface which in turn defines a space. As used throughout this disclosure, including the appended claims, the term xe2x80x9cspacexe2x80x9d is considered to mean a two or three dimensional area bounded by two or more substantially opposed surfaces, or by two or more substantially opposed portions of a single surface. The device is comprised of:
(a) a member which may be connected to said first object,
(b) a plurality of cams pivotally attached to said member, at least one of said cams defining an arcuate surface, and
(c) biasing means for biasing said at least one of said cams against said surface of said second object,
(a), (b) and (c) being sized and configured so that, when said member is connected to said first object and disposed within said space, upon biasing said at least one of said cams, said at least one of said cams pivots relative to said member so that said arcuate surface is placed and maintained in contact with said at least one surface, thereby resisting force which might otherwise separate said first and second objects.
In another embodiment of this invention, a device for connecting a first object to a second object, wherein each of said objects defines respectively at least one surface which in turn defines a respective space, is provided. The device is comprised of:
(a) a first member and a second member, said members being connectable to one another, each of said members having a plurality of cams pivotally attached thereto, at least one of said cams of each of said members defining an arcuate surface, and
(b) biasing means for biasing said at least one of said cams of each of said members against said at least one surface respectively,
said members, cams and biasing means being sized and configured so that, when said members are connected and each of said members is disposed in its respective space, upon biasing, each of said at least one of said cams of each of said members pivots relative to its respective member so that said arcuate surface thereof is placed and maintained in contact with said at least one surface of its respective object, thereby resisting force which might otherwise separate said first and second objects.
In yet another embodiment of this invention, a device is provided for connecting a first object to a second object, the second object defining one or more inner surfaces which in turn define a cavity, such as, e.g., a bore. The device is comprised of (a) a member which may be directly or indirectly connected to the first object, (b) a plurality of cams pivotally attached to the member, and (c) biasing means for biasing the cams against at least one inner surface of the second object. To connect the first and second objects, the member is connected to the first object and placed in sufficient proximity to at least one inner surface of the second object so that, upon biasing of the cams, the cams pivot relative to the member and are placed and maintained in contact with at least one inner surface of the second object so as to bind the member to the second object, thereby attaching the first object to the second object.
In still another embodiment of this invention, a device is provided for connecting at least a first object to a second object, each of the objects defining respectively one or more inner surfaces which in turn define respective cavities, such as, e.g., a bore in each object. The device comprises (1) a first member and a second member, the members being detachably attached to one another, each of the members including a plurality of cams pivotally attached thereto, and (2) biasing means for biasing the first member cams against at least one inner surface of the first object and for biasing the second member cams against at least one inner surface of the second object. To connect the first and second objects, each member is placed in sufficient proximity to at least one inner surface of its respective object so that, upon biasing of the cams, the cams pivot relative to the member and are placed and maintained in binding contact with at least one inner surface of the associated object, thereby attaching the first object to the second object through the attachment of the first member to the second member.
As may now be appreciated, methods of connecting at least two objects together are also provided in another aspect of this invention. Thus, in one embodiment of the invention a method is provided for connecting a first object to a second object, said second object defining at least one surface which in turn defines a space. The method comprises:
(a) placing within said space a member which is connected to said first object and has pivotally attached thereto a plurality of cams, at least one of said cams defining an arcuate surface,
(b) biasing said at least one of said cams defining an arcuate surface so that said arcuate surface is placed and maintained in contact with said at least one surface, to thereby resist force which might otherwise separate said first and second objects.
Yet another embodiment of this invention is a method for connecting a first object to a second object, each of said objects defining respectively at least one surface which in turn defines a respective space. This method comprises:
(a) placing within each respective space a member which has pivotally attached thereto a plurality of cams, at least one of said cams in each of said plurality of cams defining an arcuate surface, and
(b) biasing said at least one of said cams in each of said plurality of cams so that said arcuate surface is placed and maintained in contact with said at least one surface, respectively, to thereby resist force which might otherwise separate said first and second objects.